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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. last — finally
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. clip — to cut
  7. dip — to sink
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — for paper
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — boats
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. last — final
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com